Semiconductor wafer assemblies

• US 6,320,246 B1
• Filed: 04/24/2000
• Issued: 11/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aptina Imaging Corporation (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Gilton, Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Minh Loan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dickey, Thomas L
• Application Number:
  US09/556,244
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 257/607, 257/103, 257/94, 257/98, 257/634-635, 257/637, 257/641, 257/644-645, 257/650, 216/60
• US Class Current: 257/650
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/26 Acting in response to an ongoing measurement without interruption of processing, e.g. endpoint detection, in-situ thickness measurement endpoint detection arrangements in CMP apparatus B24B37/013, in discharge apparatus H01J37/32

Abstract

The invention includes a semiconductor wafer assembly, comprising: a) a semiconductor wafer substrate; and b) alternating first and second layers over the semiconductor wafer substrate, the alternating layers comprising at least one first layer and at least one second layer, the first layer comprising a first material and the second layer comprising a second material, the second material comprising atoms selected from the group consisting of yttrium, lanthanides, actinides, calcium, magnesium and mixtures thereof.

Claims

1. A semiconductor wafer assembly, comprising:

a material, the material comprising three elevationally separated regions, one of the elevationally separated regions being a center region which is elevationally between the other two of the elevationally separated regions;

each of the three elevationally separated regions comprising BPSG;

detectable atoms within the material, the detectable atoms being at a greater concentration within said other two of the elevationally separated regions than within the center region;

the detectable atoms being selected from the group consisting of yttrium, lanthanides, actinides, calcium, magnesium and mixtures thereof;

the material of said other two of the elevationally separated regions consisting essentially of BPSG and the detectable atoms.

2. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 1 wherein the detectable atom concentration in each of said other two of the elevationally separated regions is about the same.

3. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 1 wherein the detectable atom concentration in said other two of the elevationally separated regions is at least about one part per million on an atomic basis.

4. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 1 wherein the detectable atom concentration in said other two of the elevationally separated regions is less than or equal to about 0.1% on an atomic basis.

11. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 1 wherein the center region consists essentially of BPSG.

12. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 1 wherein the detectable atoms comprise yttrium.

13. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 1 wherein the detectable atoms comprise lanthanide atoms.

14. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 1 wherein the detectable atoms comprise actinide atoms.

15. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 1 wherein the detectable atoms comprise calcium.

16. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 1 wherein the detectable atoms comprise magnesium.

5. A semiconductor wafer assembly, comprising:

a semiconductor wafer substrate; and

alternating first and second layers over the semiconductor wafer substrate, the alternating layers comprising at least one first layer and at least one second layer, the at least one first layer comprising a first material and the at least one second layer comprising a second material, the second material comprising BPSG and detectable atoms selected from the group consisting of yttrium, lanthanides, actinides, calcium, magnesium and mixtures thereof;

the first material comprising BPSG and being different than the second material.

6. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 5 wherein the alternating layers comprise at least two of the first layers.

7. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 5 wherein the alternating layers comprise at least two of the second layers.

8. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 5 wherein the alternating layers comprise at least two of the second layers, and wherein a pair of the at least two of the second layers comprise common detectable atoms as one another.

9. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 5 wherein the alternating layers comprise at least two of the second layers, and wherein a pair of the at least two of the second layers comprise different detectable atoms relative to one another.

10. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 5 wherein the alternating layers comprise at least two of the second layers, and wherein one of the at least two of the second layers is an uppermost of the alternating layers, the assembly further comprising a layer of photoresist over the uppermost of the alternating layers.

17. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 5 wherein the first layer consists essentially of BPSG.

18. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 5 wherein the detectable atoms comprise yttrium.

19. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 5 wherein the detectable atoms comprise lanthanide atoms.

20. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 5 wherein the detectable atoms comprise actinide atoms.

21. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 5 wherein the detectable atoms comprise calcium.

22. The semiconductor wafer assembly of claim 5 wherein the detectable atoms comprise magnesium.